TOP NEWS

Middle East crisis  Voices on Gaza
Slovenia first EU country to stop arms to Israel

Slovenia has become the first EU country to decide to stop all arms trade with Israel in response to the war in Gaza. In a statement, the country's government writes that it acted on its own because the EU "could not take concrete measures" that the country had requested.

The Slovenian government, led by Prime Minister Robert Golob, has been one of the most critical of Israel in Europe. The country has long pushed to pause the EU's trade agreement with Israel.

Earlier in July, Slovenia became the first EU country to ban the far-right Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, writes TT.

Russian invasion The world's response
Experts: A power struggle - Trump wants to put pressure

Trump's announcement that nuclear submarines are being sent closer to Russia is nothing to be particularly concerned about. This is what Jakub Godzimirski, a researcher in Russian foreign and security policy at the Norwegian Institute of Foreign Affairs, tells the Norwegian Aftenposten.

– This is a way to put pressure on Putin [...] Trump wants Putin to understand the seriousness of the situation, and wants to show strength to act.

There will probably be no talk of any nuclear escalation – this is far from the case for both Putin and Trump, says Godzimirski.

Jan Hallenberg, an associate senior researcher at the Institute of Foreign Affairs, thinks that Trump's move is unfortunate. Nuclear weapons-carrying systems should not be moved unnecessarily, he tells DN.

– This is not good. It is a kind of power struggle, and a kind of signaling. Putin or Trump, one of them has to bow down. Otherwise, it could get really serious.

India buys US oil – a heavy blow for Putin

Indian Oil Corporation, India's largest oil refiner, has bought at least five million barrels of crude oil from the United States and two million from the United Arab Emirates. This is reported by Bloomberg by sources with insight.

According to the sources, the purchase is unusually large, and the delivery unusually fast, by the company's standards.

The information comes the day after the news that the state-owned Indian refiners have stopped buying oil from Russia after Trump threatened 100 percent sanctions on countries that do so.

If India continues to refuse Russian oil, it could be a heavy economic blow for Putin. India is the largest importer of Russian seaborne oil and has so far bought around 35 percent of its oil from Russia.

The Russian war chest is largely financed by energy exports to India and China. 

Democrats' Future
Harris Dismisses 2028 Campaign: "Broken System"

Kamala Harris thinks the US political system is "broken" and she is therefore not aiming for the presidency in 2028, she tells Stephen Colbert on "The Late Show", in her first interview since losing the election in November, Deadline reports.

- I don't want, at least for now, to get back into that system, she says.

The appearance comes after Harris chose not to run for governor in her home state of California, which according to The Hill has sparked speculation about a presidential campaign in 2028.

At the same time, the former vice president is to release a memoir about the days surrounding the 2024 election, writes Variety.

Trump's USA  Climate policy
The USA wants to stop classifying greenhouse gases as a threat

The US Environmental Protection Agency EPA no longer wants greenhouse gases to be classified as a threat to public health and welfare. The proposal – which was submitted on the orders of Donald Trump – risks leading to the abolition of emission restrictions for vehicles, industries and power plants, writes DN.

Mattias Goldmann, CEO of the climate organization 2030 Secretariat, which is working to ensure that Sweden reaches the climate goals by 2030, calls the proposal a "hole in the head".

- If there is ever a time when carbon dioxide emissions have been seen to be dangerous, it is after this summer's record heat, fires and violent torrential rains that threaten life and limb and show what climate change can lead to, he says.

Goldmann does not believe that the abolition of restrictions would lead to any reversal of the green transition globally, since it has already come so far. However, the US automotive industry could lose competitiveness, he says.